Objectification is usually the first step towards justifying violence toward someone since they are no longer regarded as a human being. Objects are acted upon and therefore, have no real purpose of their own. They are tools used to achieve the goal of someone else (Monro). To many men who view objectifying advertisements in the media, women are completely subordinate because they are being acted upon to serve a purpose beneficial to someone else – women have no power of their own (Heldman). For example, this ad shows a woman’s nude body becoming a table and coat rack to display various consumer items. The message that this gives off is that men are in control and women are always subject to the power of others.

Objectification lowers self-esteem of women, simultaneously boosting self-esteem of men in comparison. It also lowers political efficacy, which is the belief that your voice matters in the government. This causes women to be less confident and therefore pursue less ambitious positions. Self-objectifying women are less likely to vote and less likely to run for office. In the U.S., women make up 51% of our population, yet only 17% of congress (Objectifying Women). Additionally, girls from a very young age get the message that they aren’t meant to hold leadership positions and that their worth is dependent on their physical appearance. Even successful women of both political parties are still measured by how they look, such as Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin. How does this explain the media’s inability to take any woman’s work seriously?

All of these reasons and more are why there is a significant gender gap in our society. The unnecessarily sexualized ads that are seen everywhere portray men as the dominant sex and it eventually becomes a globally accepted attitude (Szymanski). It can even turn women against each other. Heldman explains that we see men’s attention as the “holy grail of our existence” so this reality even makes other women our enemy because they are seen as our competition. It makes it harder for us to get along with other women, when we should really be joining forces and motivating each other to be successful.